In Foggy Courtyard, only Ning Qingshan and Mammy Luo were in the inner room. Both of them looked pale.
After a while, Ning Qingshan asked with a gloomy face, "Was she really beaten to death by my father?"
"Yes. When the marquis saw that maid, he immediately ordered people to beat her to death with sticks. It's said that he didn't even give her an opportunity to explain." Mammy Luo's face turned blue. Another maid had been beaten to death by Madam Dowager, and now this one was beaten to death by Ning Zu'an. Mammy Luo had thought that after leaving the nunnery, they would enjoy incomparable honor and wealth following Ning Qingshan, but now the servants had been beaten to death one by one, and it would be her turn next.
"Can we ask them to send another maid like this one? We can tell them that this maid was caught by my father due to her carelessness," Ning Qingshan said, biting her teeth, but her face softened a little.
"Miss, the ma
While Mammy Luo crouched down to look at her foot with concern, talking to Qingyu, Ning Xueyan pointed at the Lucky Garden's direction and then at the door quietly. Xinmei understood what she meant and nodded. She then left for Lucky Garden. Among all Ning Xueyan's maids, she was the swiftest one.Ning Xueyan was in charge of the accounts of the manor now, so she did not have to report to Madam Dowager every time she went out.However, Ning Xueyan still strictly followed the rules and never went out without Madam Dowager's permission.Ning Xueyan's foot was not injured at all and she had deliberately asked her maid to tell Ning Qingshan about her injury. She did not wanted to talk to Ning Qingshan about the details of what had happened in the study and she had tricked her out just to get the bead flower on her head. She knew that Ning Qingshan would hear that Ning Zu'an had beaten a maid to death soon.She was sure that after heari
Thinking of this, Mother Han was a bit angry. She had agreed to send some people for the Young Lady to choose from, but a few good ones had been sent to the Foggy Courtyard. What's more, among the remaining people, some were sent to Junior Concubine Xu. However, she managed to send her sick sister to the Bright Frost Garden, using another method.Initially, only a few people were selected for Bright Frost Garden. With the addition of a sick person, they were even more shorthanded. So, they were unable to finish their tasks.Ning Xueyan's face changed slightly when she saw the maid sent to her, and who was later sent to Foggy Courtyard. This matter not only revealed Ning Qingshan's plot against her, but also the extent of Ning Qingshan's power. When Ning Qingshan was still in the nunnery, her trusted subordinate had been sent in.How could she have done it so discreetly? What kind of person was Ning Qingshan? And what was the relationship betwee
"What? Do you mean the pearl flower? That one with winter jasmine?" Madam Dowager was shocked."Yes, mother, please see if this is the one?" Ning Zu'an opened the small box in his hand, and a broken pearl flower appeared in front of Madam Dowager. The pearl flower was broken, leaving only a little residual powder and calyx on it. The original color could no longer be seen.Madam Dowager took the box and checked it. Then she answered with certainty, "It belongs to Third Young Lady. Do you mean that you found it at the door of your study?""The young male servant said that a maid holding a pearl flower, was the one who lured him away. It was at this time that the girl from Foggy Courtyard entered the study. When I went in, I saw her rummaging through the books, which were placed on the bookshelf."Ning Zu'an said in a low voice. When he confirmed that the flower was Ning Qingshan's, he felt more and more certain that there was someth
Ning Qingshan stood behind Madam Dowager with her head lowered, looking delicate and weak, as if she would readily go with Madam Dowager's arrangement.When Mammy Luo came back, she had told her that everything had been settled and Mammy Xing had promised. Mammy Xing would shift the responsibility regarding the matter of the maid onto Ning Xueyan. Even if the maid did something outrageous, it would have nothing to do with her. Madam Dowager and Ning Zu'an would only suspect Ning Xueyan.Mammy Xing knew how to act according to the real situation. Now, she knew that it was almost time, so she pretended to be scared and said, "Yes, Madam Dowager. Someone deliberately asked me to arrange for the maids to be sent to Fifth Young Lady. I thought it was not a big deal. Maybe Fifth Young Lady has seen these maids and wanted all of them, so I did not tell you."Hearing what she said, Madam Dowager became angry. She immediately pulled a long face and scol
"But... but this doesn't mean that Mammy Luo and Mammy Xing have met!" Ning Qingshan could only insist on this, and said with a forced smile."Are you Mammy Xing?" Ning Xueyan gently turned to Mammy Xing. Her jet-black eyes were like pieces of ice. Seeing that, Mammy Xing lowered her eyes, and replied in a low voice, "Yes!"Mammy Xing felt regretful at this time. If she had known that the Fifth Young Lady would be so difficult to deal with, she would not have accepted Nanny Luo's money and promised to deal with this matter. She looked like a hard nut to crack. Up to now, she was still calm and graceful, which completely overshadowed third Young Lady, who was said to be the one most likely to become the Third Prince's wife.Could it be that the rumors were wrong? The Fifth Young Lady standing in front of her had a legal wife's demeanor. The Third Young Lady, who always pretended to be stupid, seemed inferior, when compared to the Fifth Young Lad
The news that Third Young Lady had lost her favor spread throughout the manor. Many people did not believe it before. However, they were finally convinced when they heard that Third Young Lady's wet nurse had been beaten 20 times in the garden.No servant had ever been beaten in the master's courtyard before. Furthermore it was the Spring Festival, which would make the master feel unlucky. So, they believed that Third Young Lady had lost favor with Madam. Some servants who were going to Foggy Courtyard in order to please her, were now thinking twice about moving over.But, some people thought it was fine. They were sure that Third Young Lady would soon become the Third Prince's wife. So what if she lost Madam Dowager's favor now? At her age, she would get married when she was selected. So, it did not matter whether the Madam Dowager liked her or not, at that time.The servants in the manor had different opinions, but they found the atmosphere w
When Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan arrived at the Cold Mountain Temple under Ning Huaiyuan's escort, a few carriages had already been parked in the parking lot in the courtyard.Although the Cold Mountain Temple was well-known, it was located in a secluded place. Therefore, not so many noble Young Ladies had chosen to come here during the Spring Festival. As Ning Yuling preferred lively places, Cold Mountain Temple was not her first choice, and people of the Lord Protector's Manor had never come here to fight for burning the first incense in the previous years.It was Ning Qingshan who had proposed to come here, and she also specifically asked Ning Xueyan for her opinion. Ning Xueyan also liked this kind of quiet place in her previous life and she felt more relaxed here than those noisy places. That was why she did not refuse when Ning Qingshan had made the proposal.Seeing the two large carriages coming over, the little monks knew that there w
"What? I'm trying to mess up her marriage in order to marry Third Prince?"Ning Xueyan curved up her lips with coldness in her jet-black eyes. Looking at Ning Qingshan fearlessly, she said calmly, "Third Sister, don't get me involved in the matter between you and Third Prince. I have nothing to do with Third Prince, but please respect my mother. If you look down on her, why did you call her 'mother' so intimately before? After she had passed away, you started calling Madam Ling 'mother'. Third Sister, you are really something!"She did not care what had happened between Ning Qingshan and Ao Mingyu, but Ning Xueyan did not think that there was any reason for Ning Qingshan to humiliate Madam Ming."I'm really something? Of course! If you were not jealous of me, Third Prince would have fallen in love with me," Ning Qingshan said in a low voice with obvious hatred in her eyes."Jealousy? Third Sister, what makes you think in this way?
"What will you do now?" Ning Xueyan had to take two quick steps to catch up with Ao Chenyi's pace. "Destroy the nine barbarian states alongside Wen Xueran?""No." Ao Chenyi raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously. "I'll negotiate with Wen Xueran."Confused, she repeated, "Negotiate?""The people of the nine barbarian states have always been different from those of the central plains. They're valiant and barbaric. For many years, they have wanted to invade us. If it weren't for the princes of Annan holding down the front, the nine barbarian states would have attacked us a long time ago. Annan troops have fought the nine barbarian states more than our troops did, and they have a better chance of winning too."Ao Chenyi said calmly. He didn't like the nine barbarian states in the slightest. If it weren't his father forbidding him from going to the faraway hinterland of the nine barbarian states, where death was almost certain, he wo
It didn't take long for Qingyu to return from the Lord Protector's Manor with a new piece of news. It was said that there had been a haunting in the prayer hall of the manor.Rumor had it that an older maid became ill from the fright of seeing a ghost.A long time ago, the Cloud Reflection Courtyard was said to be haunted too. No one dared to come close at that time, not even during the day. Even though the rumors died down later on, a few people who were deeply affected by the events said that the situation was still grave then.Therefore, even though only a maid had seen the ghost, the rumors spread like wildfire in the manor.The prayer hall used to be Madam Dowager's favorite spot. It was later used to imprison Madam Ling for some time. Now that Madam Ling was dead, everyone feared that she was the ghost. It was said that Madam Ling was an evil woman when she was alive. Even in death, she might become a malicious ghost. The sit
Ao Chenyi was so close that his handsome face was all that Ning Xueyan could see, and he didn't look all that happy. Then, she realized that she had been holding tightly onto a strand of his black hair.She flung her hand and hastily released the strand of hair in her hand. She even caressed the hair on his temples with a wide smile. "Why are you here? When did you come? Why didn't you wake me up?"Ning Xueyan looked truly confused as if she really didn't know that she had grabbed Ao Chenyi's hair until it hurt."Playing dumb, huh?" he said coldly, frowning at her. His slender fingers reached out and lightly pinched the wing of her nose."Ouch!" Ning Xueyan held her nose pitifully. Her limpid eyes seemed glazed over as if brewing tears."Now you know it hurts!" Ao Chenyi's thin lips were curved into a smile. He was satisfied to see her not daring to voice her frustration.Ning Xueyan nodded firmly without
"Can you remember it now?" Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and knocked on their table with his slender fingers. His voice sounded a tad threatening."I… I really can't remember." Ning Xueyan felt like she had thought of all the possible answers but she was still coming up empty. She had no choice but to admit her fault."You really can't remember?" His beautiful eyes curved into a charming arc and his expression was sinister. Sure enough, this was a bad situation to be in. She didn't even hesitate to grab his hand with a bright smile on her tender face."Even if I can't remember, you can still remind me, right?" She knew it would pay well to cajole this man.Ao Chenyi wasn't polite with her either. He turned his hand over and pinched her soft face. His expression had improved considerably. There was a faint smile on his face as he asked, "If I tell you, can you really understand and remember what it is?""Of course I can!"
It seemed that at this point of the letter, the Empress couldn't continue anymore. There were only tear stains on the paper, followed by wide empty spaces.Then, the Empress said how reassured she was that Madam Ming would be taking care of her newborn. Madam Ming would be a fine mother. She had also asked someone to watch over Madam Ming and the newborn. Their statuses in the previous dynasty had vanished like smoke. Time was always moving forward and the changing of imperial dynasties was inevitable.The only tragedy was the eternal separation of her from her husband, and of her from her daughters.The only reason she had written the letter was that she couldn't help herself. If she never said anything, her child would never know the truth. That would have been for the best. Yet, she couldn't accept this, so she would hand the letter to the person who would be looking after Madam Ming. If Ning Ziying's identity was revealed to the world one d
The news of Ning Zu'an's death shocked everyone in the Lord Protector's Manor. Even though the title had been passed onto Ning Huaijing, Ning Zu'an was the patriarch of the family. Even without the title, he was still the most authoritative figure in the manor.Madam Dowager collapsed as soon as she heard the news of his death. She became ill and bedridden, unable to get up.Ning Xueyan couldn't leave the palace freely due to her status as the Empress. She sent Qingyu and Mother Han to the manor and had them inquire about Madam Dowager's health in her place. Mother Han returned to Prince Yi's Manor afterward while Qingyu entered the palace to report to Ning Xueyan.It was inconvenient for Mother Han to live in the palace because she had a son to take care of. Instead of entering the palace with Ning Xueyan, she stayed in Prince Yi's Manor as the housekeeper. Ning Xueyan was prepared to release her from the manor when the situation stabilized in
"The Empress discovered a secret tunnel under Chenyuan Palace by accident. She never told anyone about it. She even killed the maid that discovered the tunnel with her and accompanied her in walking through the tunnel. In other words, she was the only one who knew about it," Ning Xueyan explained.This was the Empress' secret. To prove it, she used Yun Luoluo's incident as an example. When Ning Xueyan was drugged in Chenyuan Palace, the Empress wanted to take her to a room. There, a man would sneak into the palace through the secret tunnel.If Ning Xueyan woke up and discovered herself in disheveled clothes in the presence of another man, she would surely panic. To protect her secret, she would surely agree with whatever the Empress wanted. The Empress wanted to use Ning Xueyan to force Ao Chenyi into accepting his "affair" with Yun Luoluo.Unfortunately, Ao Chenyi had appeared all of a sudden. She didn't dare to do anything with him around, so
Ao Chenyi didn't try to persuade her this time. This had bothered her for so long that she would continue to suffer for it if she didn't cry it out now. He held her tighter and allowed her to wet the front of his robe. She didn't brawl. All she did was close her eyes and let her tears stream down her face. When her tears finally dried, she sat quietly in Ao Chenyi's embrace for a long time.It was so quiet inside the room that she could finally calm down.Her hands were being held so tightly in Ao Chenyi's hand that she could feel the callus in his palm. He was Prince Yi, the late Emperor's beloved prince who grew up to be the infamous Demon King. Those who mentioned his name would often be frightened and alarmed. Only she knew how difficult his life had been.Ao Chenyi was still young when he drew his elder brother's jealousy and suspicion. He was framed, imprisoned, and nearly died. His fiancee abandoned him at his lowest point, sought shelte
"It was and wasn't an accident. He could only blame himself. No matter what, he was the one who forced my hand and cornered me to this state. He ruined my everything. Him dying in my hands could be considered as his retribution."The Empress began to look calm again. She turned her head and stared at Ning Xueyan with a trace of sadness in her eyes. "I invited you here to ask you to let go of my family. It's all my fault and has nothing to do with my family. They're just a small and useless noble family. In exchange for their safety, I'll tell you a secret."Her voice had lost her previous agitation and anger, leaving only a sense of helplessness. She had never put any hope in her family. She thought that she would be able to help her people after gaining power but now that she was in trouble, she was worried that her family would be implicated and sentenced to death.She had resented her family countless times for marrying her off to the Empero